In general, an outer door handle of a vehicle for opening a door from the outside is mounted on an outer side of a door panel, and a door opening lever which is interlocked with the outer door handle when the outer door handle is opened, is mounted on an inner side of the door panel, and the door opening lever. A door latch assembly for locking and unlocking the door are connected to each other by a latch cable.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, which illustrate a configuration for opening a door according to the related art, a balance weight 14 is integrally formed with an upper end of a door opening lever 12 connected to an outer door handle 10, and a rotary shaft 18 and a return spring 16 are inserted in an inner end of a middle portion of the door opening lever 12. A latch cable connecting end 20 protrudes from an outer end of the middle portion of the door opening lever 12. Accordingly, a latch cable 22 connected to a door latch assembly (not shown) for locking and unlocking a door is connected to the latch cable connecting end 20.
A stopper 24 for restricting a position of the door opening lever 12 before an operation thereof is disposed adjacent to a lower end of the door opening lever 12
If the outer door handle 10 is pulled to open the door as illustrated in FIG. 2, the door opening lever 12 angularly rotates about the rotary shaft 18, and a lower end of the door opening lever 12 angularly rotates in an outward direction, moving away from the stopper 24, as the balance weight 14 angularly rotates in an inward direction. Further, the latch cable connecting end 20 rotates toward an upper direction.
Thus, the door is opened by performing a usual unlocking operation of the door latch assembly as the latch cable 22 is pulled up.
As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle receives a primary forward inertial force, and immediately receives a secondary reverse inertial force by an internal repulsive force during a side collision of the vehicle.
Since the outer door handle 10 may be pulled out as described in FIG. 3 by the primary forward inertial force during a side collision of the vehicle causing the door to be opened. By integrally mounting the balance weight 14 to the door opening lever 12 as described above.
Immediately after the side collision of the vehicle, the outer door handle 10 receives a force heading for an outer side of the vehicle by the forward inertial force to be pulled, but since the balance weight 14 integrally formed with the door opening lever 12 receives the forward inertial force and leans to the outer side of the vehicle, the door opening lever 12 is not angularly rotated in an opening direction, and eventually the door is not opened even if the outer door handle is pulled by the forward inertial force.
Opening of the door by the forward inertial force can be prevented by integrally mounting the balance weight to the door opening lever, but the door may still be opened since the balance weight is angularly rotated in an inward direction of the vehicle by the secondary reverse inertial force.
When an internal reaction of the vehicle immediately after the side collision of the vehicle generates the secondary reverse inertial force, the balance weight 14 integrally formed with the door opening lever 12 and the door opening lever 12 angularly rotates toward the inward direction of the vehicle by the reverse inertial force. At the same time, since the latch cable 22 connected to the latch cable connecting end 20 of the door opening lever 12 is pulled, the door latch assembly is unlocked and opens the door which may cause a secondary damage due to opening of the door.